ABSTRACT
In the eyes of the world, the Sino-Soviet border—now reduced to the Sino-Russian border, but still the longest between any two countries—long symbolized a fortress mentality. It was closed to virtually all traffic and heavily militarized on both sides, and even neighboring towns were unable to gain comparative advantage through trade. The promise of earlier openings at the beginning of this century and in the 1950s was snuffed out. As measured by the ratio of military buildup to civilian prosperity, or of state mobilization of local resources for protectionist goals to material incentives for open commerce with the outside, this area represents how far the world remained only a short time ago from the ideals of free trade, open borders, and peaceful coexistence.
